The Parking Authority of the City of Butler agreed to pay the city $150,000 in 2005 for services in authority parking lots.

Mayor Leonard Pintell brought city council's request to the authority's meeting Thursday, hoping not only for quick approval to help council with its 2005 budgeting process, but also for an additional $20,000.

The authority gave the city $130,000 this year to pay for services such as police patrols and snow removal in authority

parking

lots.

That was down from 2003's $200,000 payment by the authority to the city. The reduction came as a result of authority members feeling the city had not lived up to its end of the agreement with slow snow removal and that year's layoff of the city's two meter monitors, which resulted in a loss in authority revenue.

Pintell said he thinks the city has done a better job with snow removal and the authority has seen an increase in revenue this year with reinstatement of the meter monitors.

The mayor did apologize to authority members, however, for the city's inability to keep up with mowing and weed control in the lots this summer.

"We should be in a better position to take care of those issues next year, at least I am hopeful that we will be," Pintell said.

According to union contracts, the city has been unable to hire seasonal help or use volunteers or work-release prisoners because of the 2003 layoffs of three Streets Department workers.

The city has either had to call back the laid-off workers or wait two years to be able to hire part-time or use free help. That two-year period ends this year.

Ralph D'Antonio, city treasurer and also authority treasurer, said increased revenue this year would allow the authority to afford the additional $20,000 to the city in 2005.